Youngstown State's only two opportunities to play at home this month are this week, and the homestand begins Thursday against Wright State. Tipoff against the Raiders at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeart.

Gameday Info

• When: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com | International Stream
• Listen: 570 WKBN | iHeart.com
• Stats: SIDEARM Stats
• Social: Instagram | X | Facebook

Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information

Tickets | Gameday & Parking Information | Visitors Guide | Promotional Schedule | YSU Mobile App - iOS - Android

• Advance tickets for Thursday's game are available online through YSUsports.com or by calling (330) 941-1978. The ticket office and gates at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will open at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
• Promotions
  • National Girls & Women in Sports Day Celebration
  • YSU Student T-Shirt Giveaway
  • First 100 YSU Students will receive Little Caesars pizza

A Glimpse at the Guins

• Youngstown State enters this key stretch in February just two games out of fourth place in the Horizon League standings. The Penguins are 9-15 overall and 4-10 in conference play, and there are seven teams within 2.5 games of each other in the standings. YSU has five straight contests against teams in that group of six other teams. Wright State is 4-11, and IU Indy, YSU's opponent on Saturday, is 5-10.
• The Penguins dropped a pair of competitive games on their Wisconsin trip last week. YSU lost 58-47 at Green Bay last Thursday in a contest that was within two possessions with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter. YSU trailed Milwaukee by two with less than a minute remaining on Saturday in a 61-56 loss.
• Fifth-year senior Malia Magestro became the fifth player in program history to eclipse 200 career 3-pointers last week, making two at Green Bay and a season-high-tying five at Milwaukee. One of three seniors on the team and one of four returners, Magestro is averaging career highs of 11.9 points and 2.4 assists in 2024-25.
• Magestro, senior Jewel Watkins and freshman Sophia Gregory combined for 47 of YSU's 56 points at Milwaukee and 82.5% of the Penguins scoring on the road last week.
• Watkins, a senior transfer and one of 10 newcomers on the squad, ranks seventh in the conference in scoring at 14.5 points per game. She also ranks fourth in the circuit with 2.3 3s per game, and she routinely defends the opposing team's top wing.
• Magestro has made 23 3-pointers in her last eight games to surge up to fifth in the conference in 3s per game. With her joining Watkins in the top five, YSU is the league's only team to have two shooters ranking in the top six in 3s per game.
• Gregory should be among the favorites to be voted the Horizon League Freshman of the Year. She leads all conference freshmen in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals per game as well as field-goal percentage.
• YSU's strength is its defense in this first season under first-year Head Coach Melissa Jackson. Youngstown State leads the Horizon League in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.298), and it ranks second in rebounding margin (plus-2.4). The Penguins also rank among the top five in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and blocks per game.
• Jackson, the ninth coach in program history, has spent the last 16 years in Northeast Ohio. The first-year Penguin has the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Akron history from her five seasons leading the Zips.
• With three season-ending injuries and other players dealing with bumps and bruises, YSU has used seven different starting lineup combinations this season. Ten of the 14 players on the roster have started at least once this season.
• YSU is 44-32 in Horizon League play since the start of the 2021-22 season, and it has won at least 13 conference games in three of the past seven campaigns.
• Youngstown State has enjoyed tremendous success at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. The Penguins have had a winning record at home in 11 of the last 12 seasons, and they are 75-31 on Rosselli Court since the start of the 2018-19 campaign. YSU is 8-4 on its home floor in 2024-25, and one more win will secure a winning record for the season.

Youngstown State vs. Wright State

A Win Would...

• Give YSU a 10-15 overall record, a 5-10 mark in Horizon League contests and a 9-4 record on Rosselli Court this season.
• Allow the Penguins to split two regular-season meetings with Wright State.
• Be YSU's third over Wright State in Youngstown in the last four years.
• Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 82nd career win, her 10th at Youngstown State and her first over Wright State.

Milestone Watch

• Faith Burch needs eight rebounds to reach 350 in her career.
• Sophia Gregory is six blocks away from breaking YSU's freshman record for blocks in a season. She is currently second with 25. Jen Perugini holds the record with 30 in 2001-02.
• Malia Magestro is 11 assists shy of 250, and she needs 11 steals to reach 100. Magestro needs four 3s to move into a tie for second place on YSU's all-time list (209).
• Haley Thierry is two points shy of 300 in her career, and she is seven rebounds away from bringing her career total to 250.
• Jewel Watkins is five free throws from making her 200th. She needs nine more assists to reach 100 in her career, and she is 13 steals shy of 100.

Scouting the Raiders

• Wright State is 6-19 overall, 4-11 in Horizon League play and 0-13 away from the Nutter Center this season. In addition to its 77-62 win in Dayton over YSU, the Raiders have home victories against Detroit Mercy, Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky in the league slate.
• The Raiders rank fifth in the conference in scoring offense averaging 63.9 points per game, and they allow opponents to score 72.8 points. That ranks 10th in the circuit. Wright State makes 6.4 3s per contest, which ranks sixth in the league, and it ranks third in the conference in free throw attempts per game.
• Amaya Staton, who had 14 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks against YSU on Jan. 12, leads the Raiders with 10.8 points and 8.0 rebounds pre contest. The fifth-year transfer from Merrimack leads the Horizon League with 1.7 blocks per game. Claire Henson averages 10.3 points and shoots 37.7% from beyond the arc, and Olivia Brown leads the Raiders with 70 assists.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Wright State leads 41-31
Jackson: 0-1 // Home: 18-16 // Away: 13-23 // Neutral: 0-2
Current Win Streak: 1 by Wright State

• Wright State owns a 41-31 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1979. Cleveland State is the only opponent YSU has played more in its history.
• The programs were members of the Mid-Continent Conference in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, and they've been in the Horizon League together since 2001-02. The Penguins won 19 of the first 25 meetings in the series, and Wright State had won 11 out of 12 games from 2016-2021.
• YSU swept the regular-season series in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and the teams split two
  meetings in 2023-24.
• YSU has fared better at home against the Raiders with an 18-16 record versus a 13-25 mark away from Beeghly Center. Wright State bet YSU 82-68 on Rosselli Court last season.

Last Time vs. Wright State

• Wright State scored 46 points in the middle two quarters and shot 51.3% from the field over the final 30 minutes to beat YSU 77-62 on Jan. 12 at the Nutter Center.
• The Penguins led 20-12 after scoring 13 of the final 15 points of the first period, but they were outscored 65-42 over the next three quarters. YSU missed its first 12 field-goal attempts of the second period as Wright State rallied to tie the score at 34 at halftime. The Raiders then shot 69.2% from the field in the third quarter to gain the advantage.
• YSU was whistled for a season-high 24 fouls in the game, and Wright State converted those into 22 free throws on 27 attempts.
• Malia Magestro led all scorers with 16 points while making three 3-pointers, and Amaya Staton had 14 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks to pace the Raiders.

Recapping Milwaukee

Game Summary

Malia Magestro scored 24 points and made five 3-pointers as Youngstown State fell 61-56 at Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon.

Magestro led all scorers with her 24 points, which was one shy of her career high. Jewel Watkins added 13 points, and Sophia Gregory scored 10 points in the second half after battling foul trouble in the first. Gregory and Watkins both had three blocks, and YSU recorded nine blocks as a team.

Anna Lutz scored 20 points to lead Milwaukee, which got 25 points from its bench and had more balance in the scoring column. YSU's leading trio combined for 47 of the team's 56 points, while the Panthers had five players score at least eight points.

Milwaukee missed 11 straight field-goal attempts in the first quarter, and the Penguins led 11-7 after Magestro's second 3 of the period at the 3:19 mark. YSU held a 13-11 advantage after 10 minutes despite Gregory committing two fouls in just over three minutes of action.

The Penguins then opened up a 25-16 lead at the 6:23 mark of the second quarter on a Magestro bucket. That capped a 14-5 burst for Youngstown State going back to its final possession of the first period. YSU missed its last nine attempts from the field and went scoreless for the rest of the half after the Magestro jumper, and Milwaukee scored the final 11 points to take a 27-25 lead.

Lutz scored 14 points for Milwaukee as both teams scored 16 points in the third, and the Panthers held on through six lead changes in the fourth.

Youngstown State's final lead was 51-49 when Watkins split two free-throw attempts at the 4:38 mark, and the Penguins tied the score at 53 on a long two by Magestro with 3:03 on the clock. YSU went scoreless for two-and-a-half minutes until Haley Thierry's 3-pointer with 34 seconds left got them within three at 59-56, and Milwaukee made two free throws and had a strong defensive stand to finish the victory.

Notes

• Youngstown State blocked nine shots in the game, which was its most this season and the most since it blocked 10 shots at IU Indy on Feb. 8, 2019. Sophia Gregory and Jewel Watkins had three blocks apiece, while Malia Magestro, Bella Samz and Haley Thierry each had one block. For Samz, it was her first career block.
• The Penguins were just 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. That set season lows for both attempts and makes. Milwaukee was 12-for-14, including 7-for-8 in the fourth quarter.
• The game was decided by five points, which was the smallest final margin in a game for Youngstown State this season regardless of a win or loss.
• YSU was 3-for-9 from long distance in the first quarter and 4-for-8 in the fourth. However, the Penguins were 1-for-9 over the second and third periods.
• Milwaukee held a 25-3 edge in bench scoring, and YSU's only points from a non-starter came on a 3-pointer by Thierry with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Panthers had two players make their first starts of the season due it it being senior day.
• There were 33 combined assists on 45 field goals in the game. YSU had 16 assists on 23 buckets, and Milwaukee was credited with 17 assists on 22 makes. Gregory, Magestro, Thierry and Xoe Rosaelz had three assists apiece.
• Faith Burch had two assists, and her first was the 50th of her career. Burch also tied her career high with two steals. She actually had two steals in both games last week after having two steals once in the first 84 games of her career.
• Gregory played just 3:03 in the first half due to foul trouble, but she made the most of her second-half opportunities. She was 5-for-6 from the field and blocked two shots in the third quarter alone. She then had assists on three 3-pointers in the fourth period while adding a steal and a block.
• Magestro scored her 1,200th career point and moved into 17th on YSU's all-time scoring list with 1,218 career points. She finished with 24 points, which was one away from her career high set earlier this season against Mercyhurst. Magestro made at least five 3s in a game for the third time this season, and she had a career-high 13 attempts from beyond the arc.
• Watkins scored in double figures for the 50th time in her career in a 13-point afternoon. She tied her season high with three blocks. Watkins played at least 37 minutes for the second straight game and for the fourth time in the last five contests. She attempted at least 20 field goals for the second time in the last three games.

Up Next

• Youngstown State will host IU Indy on Saturday at 2 p.m. YSU will wear pink jerseys that will be auctioned off to benefit the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center, and there will be a pink t-shirt giveaway to the first 200 fans, courtesy of Mercy Health. Youngstown State will also celebrate six new inductees into its Athletics Hall of Fame at halftime, and there will be a key chain giveaway, courtesy of Key Kutterz.